F.D.A. Severely Limits Popular Drug Avandia

The F.D.A. has announced a severe restriction of the diabetes drug Avandia, which can be linked to an estimated 47,000 people who suffered heart attacks while taking the drug between 1999 and 2009. The drug is banned in Europe, and patients in the U.S. can only be prescribed it if their doctor determines "they have tried every other diabetes medicine and that patients have been made aware of the drug's substantial risks." Questions were raised about the popular drug as early as 2007 after studies began to connect Avandia to heart problems. The decision marks a much harder line taken by government agencies on drug safety issues.  Garniner Harris, The New York Times  09/23/2010

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